Questions to Ask Yourself if You want to Succeed

Success is far more arbitrary than most people think, and has many different definitions for each individual. Before you can decide to start down the path to success, you must first ask yourself some questions that will help to forge that route. If you can answer these questions you’ll have a much easier time succeeding, and figure out just how you’ll succeed.

Why do I want to succeed?Of course everyone wants to succeed, but there are many different root causes that dictate why you want to succeed. Answering this question will help you to define why you want to succeed, and is a good starting place that is often overlooked.

Many people are of the mindset that success in of itself is reason to succeed, but it is far deeper than that.

This will also help you to answer some of the other questions you’ll ask yourself before venturing on your journey for success.

Who am I succeeding for?Knowing who motivates you to succeed will also help you to succeed. Some people choose to succeed for their own personal reasons, while others venture on their quest for success to please other people, like their parents, children, spouses and friends. Success may be helping a group in need. It may be any combination of all of the above.

If you can’t really answer this question, it will be hard to find the motivation to keep moving forward when times are rough. But knowing the answer to who you’re succeeding for will give you the resources for whom to turn to when you need extra motivation.

What is my definition of success?Your definition of success is ultimately the only one that matters when it comes to the desire to succeed for your own internal motivation. Success for one person may be opening their own business and having a steady enough clientele to comfortably retire in thirty years. For someone else, success may be putting the competition out of business. It may be being able to leave the office at five every night to spend time with the family, or it may be making so much money that you can send your family on a lavish vacation twice annually.

Once you’ve determined your definition for success, you’ll be better able to carve out a path for how to get there. If you don’t know where you’re going, it will be near impossible to figure out the way to success.

When will I know if I have succeeded?This ties in closely to knowing your definition for success, but knowing when you succeed gives you a solid end point. This isn’t to say you won’t go on to tackle other endeavors for success, but goals are vital for knowing when you have succeeded.

Success for one person may not be success for another, so keep in mind that knowing when you yourself have succeeded will help you to shape your goals and establish a route for success. Knowing when you’ve succeeded will also help you to look back when it is all over and say “wow, I really did succeed in my business.”

Am I willing to ask for help along the way?Success doesn’t have to mean doing it on your own. Success can be knowing when to ask for help to help you accomplish your dreams. If your dream is to finish the marathon, do you discredit yourself if you twist an ankle and need help crossing the finish line? You finished the marathon didn’t you?

The same goes for business. Being able to ask for help is important, and doesn’t take away from your success. Accepting ahead of time that help isn’t a crutch will make it easier to realize your success when you’ve met your goals.

Can my definition of success evolve over time?Is your definition of success set in stone? Or as you change, your business changes, and your life goals change, can your definition change? Having a definition of success that evolves can be good, as long as you recognize that evolution and falling back are different.

If your business isn’t turning out the way you want it to, and you change your definition of success to meet what it’s become, you can’t really call it success. That’s kind of a cop out. On the other hand, if you start out with a definition of success saying that an 80 hour week is your definition of success, but you then expand and delegate, that can still be success.

Is my definition of success attainable?They say to reach for the stars, but it can be very easy to get discouraged if you set unrealistic goals for success. If you set a goal for something you can never accomplish, you will never have that feeling of success. Sometimes, there is nothing wrong with the definition other than the wrong time or place.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t follow your dreams, but it is important to set goals that make you work for them, but are possible to meet. An unattainable goal will cause only frustration and pain along the way.

What are some roadblocks that could hinder my success?Once you have a solid idea for how you are going to succeed, look for issues that may get in your way and hinder your ultimate success. Identifying these roadblocks before you encounter them will help you to better prepare for them, and allow you to plan for alternate routes and solutions.

Setting out without planning for problems along the way will leave you unprepared during an inevitable roadblock. If you want success, make it easiest as possible.

Once you’ve asked yourself these questions, you will be able to better prepare and plan for success. If you think deeper past the general concept of success, your route will carve itself and you’ll be well on your way to achieving your dreams, meeting goals and ultimately succeeding.